Whitehorse News - January 2022

Victorian Senior of the Year

Whitehorse City Council congratulates local residents Valerie Donlon and Trevor Eddy for winning Council of the Ageing (COTA) Victorian Senior Achiever Awards at the 2021 Victorian Senior of the Year Awards.

Valerie and Trevor were nominated by their peers at U3A Nunawading and Greenlink Box Hill respectively for their significant contributions to their local community.

Valerie Donlon

Valerie is the Vice President of U3A Nunawading. She has been involved in volunteer work for over a decade: she worked at Eastern Volunteers as a driver,\ with AMES as a tutor, at WIRE as a telephone support worker and joined the U3A nine years ago.

“As I was winding down with work, I wanted to get involved with volunteering to be part of my local community,” said Valerie, who came from a successful career in corporate communications.

“I enjoy working with and helping people.” Valerie was nominated for the COTA award for her efforts in steering the U3A’s work to an online format during the height of the pandemic.

“U3A Nunawading is the largest in Victoria, with nearly 2000 members who come to learn new things and socialise with others. We didn’t want to lose this during lockdowns.” Valerie was instrumental in setting up over 100 Zoom classes, establishing a Facebook group and coordinating a monthly newsletter so that members could stay connected from afar.

“I worked with our course administrators and IT team to learn how Zoom worked andthen worked with the different classes to help them get online – it was a team effort with all hands on deck,” said Valerie.

“Each class that moved to Zoom had a support person. We weren’t necessarily IT experts, but if there were any technical issues we were always on call.”

Valerie said there was a steep learning curve, but everyone helped each other through it and learned on the go.

“We were really delighted with how our members took it on, becoming more familiar with their computers and iPads.”

Valerie’s galvanising efforts meant that members could stay engaged during lockdown. With restrictions lifted, both members and staff have been keen to get back to in-person learning.

“I have been the convenor for our summer school, which runs for two weeks in January with 65 classes and excursions. I’ve been delighted to see that many classes are already full.”

Valerie is incredibly passionate about contributing to the fantastic work the U3A does for older people in the community. Her advice to older people who are interested in volunteer work is to keep looking until they find something they really enjoy.

“It might take a few different organisations to find the right fit, but do try. It’s incredibly rewarding and I’ve made a whole new community of friends since joining the U3A.”

Trevor Eddy

When asked what inspired him to start volunteering, Trevor Eddy’s answer was simple: “it’s in my blood. I can’t say no to a cause.”

Using expertise from his corporate background, Trevor provides practical and administrative support to numerous community organisations.

One of his many roles is Treasurer and Public Officer at Greenlink Box Hill, a volunteerrun organisation that grows and sells plants indigenous to greater Whitehorse.

“I started at Greenlink in 2010 as a volunteer consultant and became Treasurer in 2011,” said Trevor.

“Some of my responsibilities include maintenance, finance, contracting, government grants and customer service.”

Trevor is also the President and Chairman of the Burke & Beyond association, which provides services to people with disability. He joined the organisation in 2006 and has held his current role for 13 years.

“Burke & Beyond is a fantastic organisation doing some great work with young people with disabilities. I’m grateful to work so closely with these people and their families,” said Trevor.

Among many other roles and responsibilities, Trevor is also Secretary and Public Officer at Clota Cottage Neighbourhood House in Box Hill and has worked closely with Council over the years, including on the Shaping Whitehorse panel.

Trevor is passionate about using and sharing his knowledge to navigate the practical, corporate side of community work. “Having an understanding of administration, governance and finance is useful in community organisations,” said Trevor.

“In my role at Burke & Beyond, I went to Canberra where I had a very successful meeting with those who make funding decisions for people with disability. At Clota Cottage, I helped ensure our workers could claim JobKeeper.”

Trevor’s advice to older people who are interested in volunteering is to use their unique skillset and life experience to help others.

“Don’t underestimate the contribution you can make to your community.”

Trevor Eddy image credit: Burke & Beyond